Neptune and Company does not perform chemical analyses, but we help you set up your projects and evaluate the data to make informed decisions from the analytical results. We apply our chemistry expertise to identify and quantify risks to humans and the environment, to establish baseline conditions and on-going permit requirements, and to establish and to facilitate process operations. N&C can provide you with a common-sense approach to develop and implement your projects and ongoing operations.
Sampling and Analysis Planning including Quality Assurance Project Plans: We develop SAPs that follow proven planning methods including the Data Quality Objectives process. We ensure there is a reason (based upon the Conceptual Site Model for instance) and associated measurement objective developed for each measurement taken in the field and laboratory. We have developed and provided consultation on hundreds of project plans that including organic, inorganic, and radionuclide analytes. We develop plans that include the quality control and quality assurance that matches your requirements. We can specify chain of custody, field and instrument records, analytical data and QA requirements, as well as training and competency requirements for the acquisition of defensible data.
Complete Laboratory Program coordination, from design through implementation and oversight. We understand the laboratory system and can ensure you are receiving the analytical service and data delivery to meet your needs. Electronic Data Delivery format is critical to streamlining your operation and ensuring you can quickly evaluate the usability of the data and incorporate it into your operations and decisions. We also perform Laboratory and Field Audits. These third-party audits are used to evaluate laboratory capabilities, including new methods or specialized analyses, or as ongoing QA to ensure that you are receiving the necessary analytical services for your project or operation. Field audits are critical in assuring representative data is collected and handled correctly prior to analysis. We also have experience in providing field audits of new technologies and demonstrations associated with contaminant control and remediation.
Data Validation and Verification, and in particular Focused Data Validation and Usability Assessment. We provide third-party validation and can then evaluate the field and laboratory QA/QC results in conjunction with analytical data including field conditions such as pH, redox chemistry, to understand where failed QC impacts the data. This can be especially important in human health and ecological risk assessment, where redox conditions may preclude risk even when metals are present. The results obtained for total and hexavalent chromium is one example where this is applied. We provide expertise in data usability, where the initial validation may have resulted in qualification. The extent and impact of this qualification can be evaluated and communicated, in many instances contractually noncompliant data are usable within reasonable limits.
Analytical Method Recommendations and Evaluations. We have experience beyond the routine environmental laboratory methods and can help you evaluate new approaches including method development. We work closely with our in-house statisticians to develop Round Robin studies.
Fate and Transport Modeling. N&C has provided over 20 years of experience in developing environmental models. We link the conceptual site model with the hydrogeologic conditions to develop mathematical and probabilistic models of contaminant transport. Using geochemical codes (Visual MINTEQ, PHREEQC, GWB) linked to transport codes, we evaluate the modeled behavior and transport of metals, elements, and radionuclides (e.g uranium, thorium, daughter products).
Forensic Evaluations. Forensic evaluation is a logical extension of our expertise in data validation, usability coupled with our understanding of contaminant fate and transport. We have experience evaluating chemical, physical, and historical information to arrive at defensive conclusions associated with contaminants in the environment. This expertise includes the full spectrum of environmental issues including organics (petroleum products and fracking related compounds, PCBs, chlorinated solvents), radionuclide’s (secular equilibrium, man-made rads) and asbestos. We are well versed in chromatography, spectroscopy and mass spectrometry, including tandem and specialized speciation techniques and can apply these to forensic investigations.
Please contact our Los Alamos or Denver office for your project needs. To speak with someone directly, please contact David Gratson or Rebecca Shircliff.
